Silver Lining
by Saint-Whatername
Summary: 6 years old Ayana had always wished for a hero, and when she met Tate, finally life was good. But what happens when 16 years old Ayana takes her savior for granted? Will she manage to keep her head above cold water, or will she find herself stumbling blindly down a dark path? I guess you'll just have to see...
1. Pilot

Hello, my name is Ayana, and I live with dead people.

I was 6 years old when I saw my first ghost, my parents moved us into a beautiful mansion in L.A. I don't think I would be alive today if it wasn't for that house. My parents are well known in the underground community for their _specialty_ in the art of Hoodoo.

When I was a baby I was given to my parents to settle a debt, I am not a daughter to them, but a trophy, a prize. My father is prone to drinking his home-brewed liquor, my mother has a long spindly pipe between her teeth much of the time, she says her herbs help her work.

I was beaten from an early age, whenever my father fell into one of his many drunken rages. I would try and hold my bedroom door closed, but my small weak muscles never held. That all changed though when we moved into The Murder House.

The tragedies that took place within those walls never bothered them. As practitioners of advanced Hoodoo, the veil between death and life was already paper thin. They weren't stupid though, oh no, my parents are a lot of things but they are not stupid. My mother burns a strange concoction of herbs, meat and spiced around the house continuously. Their aroma renders all spirits under their command.

Less than a week we'd been there, but my father had already somehow managed to unpack his distillery in one of the many spare rooms, and he had drank more than what I deem wise.

"A-" He stumbled, caught himself on the banister. "Ayana. Come 'ere!"

I knew he was coming, but I couldn't just sit and wait for the inevitable pain, hope is a fierce thing inside of a child. I scrambled to my feet from my bed, his slurs growing louder as he swayed down the hall. I slammed my palms again the door and pushed, praying to whatever God was up there, he would send me help, make me big and strong.

The jolt of a much larger body hit my door, and just as I knew the door would be flung from my grasp, his hands pushed along with mine. Such pretty hands, I always thought, the colour of fresh cream. I stared doe eyed up at the boy as we struggled to hold the door shut. I couldn't see his face, but I could see the halo of white blonde hair on his head.

Finally, my father, for the first time ever in my short existence, walked away. He appeared to have lost interest and stumbled into his bedroom, and swiftly passed out on my parent's bohemian bed. The boy finally turned to face me; his face scared me at first, the light of my room throwing shadow over his features. But once he bent to one knee, to my eye level, I saw him. He was the most perfect creature my 6 year old eyes had ever seen.

"Hi, I'm Tate. You need to go to bed now Alana." He smiled a fox's grin.

I nodded obediently, my dark curly bouncing around my ears. I crawled back under my thin covers and stared up at my angel, Tate. He looked down at me with cold indifference, but his eyes soon softened. He perched on the edge of my bed, petting my hair softly.

"You remind me of my sister. She was a good girl, just like you. 'was Pretty too..."

I felt my eyelids become heavy, my body began to melt away from me as I gave into a deep, pain-free sleep.

My faith in God was renewed that day, I had prayed, and he had provided. I asked for strength, and he had gifted me an angel.


	2. Here's to another relationship bombed

4.11.15_ - Ayana is 16 years old_

Ayana lays across her bed, her dark hair cropped to a bob that framed her warm features. She bit her thin, red lip, her doe-like yes fixated on the boy above her. Her small, soft palms glided over a wide, firm chest. Brushing her hands through thick chestnut hair, Ayana smiled as she brushed her lips against her companion's.

"Come on Ayana... You'll enjoy it, I promise." The boy above her kissed the soft, tender flesh of her neck.

The gentle smile that had graced her lips faltered, but only briefly. Carefully, Ayana subtly angled her head as to deny access to such a vulnerable place on her small frame.

"Danny, I don't know... I don't think I'm ready yet."

The boy, Danny, stilled, the veins in his temple bubbling under his skin, his jaw clenched tight. Ayana, recognising her mistake, stretched a smile across her mouth and attempted to laugh the situation off.

"Hey, don't worry, there's plenty other things we can do! We can make-out, we can go for walks, we can-"

"I don't want to go for walks, Ayana. Baby, you know I love you, and I do so much for you... Don't I hun. It upsets me that you won't give me this one little thing, just because it makes you uncomfortable." Danny's piercing blue eyes pierced Ayana's own pair of grey. Ashamed, Ayana broke eye contact, she guessed it really wasn't very fair on Danny... Yet Ayana shook her head.

Ayana opened her mouth to oppose, when harsh, unforgiving lips crashed against her own, bruising her tender lips. Ayana gasped into the boy's mouth, his thick arms hold her waist against his, pressing their bodies together. In a panic, Ayana bit down on her boyfriend's tongue, a growl like a feral animal escaped his throat as blood trickled over his plump lips.

Pushing her down into the mattress, Danny's heavy fist collided with Ayana's soft cheekbone. As her head swam and her muscles weakened, the predator like boy hooked his finger into the waist band of her pants, and made to pull them down.

"Hey!"

A pale skinned teenager sat in out in a hallway, his back pressed against the wall, his legs sprawled out in front of himself. His fists were clenched on his thighs, the soft sighs and sounds of lips parting trickling through the door beside him.

He squeezed his eyes together, tilting his face down, to try and subdue the rising liquid fury in his veins.

"I don't like him either, but you can't just sit around and wait for something to happen, Tate."

Opening his dark brown eyes, Tate glared at the middle aged women who stood above him. Without replying, Tate tilted his head back down again. He knew Vivian was right, but that didn't mean he had to listen, she wasn't his mother and even if she was he wouldn't care. Vivian had always been like a mother to Ayana, God knows her own mother was as useful as a bag of dog shit.

After a few more seconds of silence, Tate sighed and began to stand, figuring if Vivian was planning on shadowing that doorway, he best vacate it. He had only just began to turn when the sound of bed sheets rustling and muffled crying broke the heavy silence.

Both Vivian and Tate's eyes snapped to the door, then to each other. As though a silent temporary truce had been made, the flung the door open. Before them they saw Ayana's jerk off waste of space boyfriend kneeling between the girl's legs, his knees pinning her thighs apart. The dark haired girl's arms lay limp at her sides as they took in the dazed, hazy look on the 16 year old's face.

Simultaneously, the two intruder's eyes fell upon the monster's hands, that clutched the fabric of her cream pants.

"Hey!" Vivian yelped, "Get your hands off of her, you pig!" Danny's eyes widened in surprise.

"You said your mom was away for the weekend, and who's this ass-" Tate's supernatural strength flung Danny from the bed, causing the jock to land on his back against the far wall. Tate made to march towards the boy, when Vivian suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"No, you stay with her. I'll deal with this dick."

Tate glanced back to the mortal boy, who now was pulling himself to his feet and towards the door. The fair haired spirit rushed to the bedside, Ayana's small plump frame now curled into herself on her side. Tate reached out his long slender hand, gently stroking the girl's hair.

The sound of a slamming door reverberated through the old mansion. "Stay away from our girl, you filth!" Vivian barked at the retreating boy. Ayana's eyes snapped open as she leapt from her bed and sprinted down the stairs and out her front door.

"Danny! Danny please I-I'm sorry, please we can fix this!" Finally catching upto the limping teen, Ayana clutched at his clothes, begging him to stay. Filled with indignation, the boy snarled.

"Get off of me you, you freak!" Danny flung her away, her body falling and causing her face to bounce off the ground before her hands could respond.

Ayana lay there, listening to the sound of Danny walking away from here, slamming the gate behind him and peeling away in his truck. Sobbing, Ayana stood trembling as she ran back inside of her home.

Tate's long arms wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry, Aya, that guy was a real douche."

Ayana suddenly shrieked hysterically, violently breaking away from Tate's arms. Breathing heavily, she pointed her small index finger into his face, Tate frozen in shock.

"You! It's always you! You just don't want me to be happy and loved so you drive all the men I meet away! This. Is. Your. Fault, Tate." She yelled, her finger moving to jab in his chest to emphasize her fury.

"I-I... I was protecting you, Goddamnit!" Ayana's hard gaze held strong.

Without a word, the girl turned away from the immortal teen, slowly she made her way to the kitchen. She paused in the doorway.

"Go away Tate."

Tate vanished from the hall.


End file.
